Bridge of Sighs
By Amy Reinink
Is there a more iconic symbol of summertime in Maryland than the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, aka the Bay Bridge? The 4.3-mile-span connects Maryland’s Eastern and Western shores, and looms 379 feet (at the highest point on its suspension towers) above the glittering Chesapeake Bay.
But if it’s the ultimate symbol of summer travel for some, the bridge also represents congestion and frustration for many drivers traveling to and from the beach on busy weekends. Here’s what to know before you go:
History
Next time you curse the inconvenience of a bridge crossing, imagine life before its construction. Travelers could only cross the Chesapeake by taking the Kent Island-Sandy Point Bay ferry, which took an hour or more to shuttle passengers from shore to shore.
State officials first conceived of the Bay Bridge in 1927, but the Great Depression and later World War II intervened. Finally Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. and the state legislature approved its construction in 1947, and groundbreaking took place in 1949.
When the eastbound span opened in 1952—with one eastbound and one westbound lane, at a cost of $45 million—it was the longest continuous steel structure over water and the third-longest bridge in the world, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. The bridge’s second span, which now carries westbound traffic, opened in 1973 and cost $148 million. Last fiscal year, the bridge carried more than 28 million vehicles across the bay.
Traffic information
If you’re driving the speed limit of 50 mph in normal traffic, it should take just over five minutes to cross the Bay Bridge, says John Sales, an MDTA spokesman. For the best chance of making a five-minute crossing, go before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m. on a Thursday or Friday; before 7 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Saturday; and before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m. Sunday. Go outside of those times on summer weekends and there’s no telling how long it could take.
The longest waits, though, result from weather conditions. The MDTA has had to close the bridge eight times in recent history because of bad weather, Sales says. During last year’s Hurricane Sandy, it closed for two days. Drivers can learn about bridge traffic via a live webcam at www.baybridge.com or by calling 1-877-229-7726 for traffic updates.
Fear of bridges
For people suffering from gephyrophobia, or fear of bridges, the Bay Bridge inspires feelings of despair and panic. Sally Winston, co-director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland in Towson, says fear of the Bay Bridge is common. Some people worry it will collapse beneath them, as the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minnesota did in 2007. Others fear a panic attack will cause them to swerve or come to a full stop midway. Even so “you can drive very safely while you’re feeling uncomfortable,” Winston says. “It’s a matter of not being angry at yourself for feeling uncomfortable.”
For drivers who simply can’t stomach driving themselves across the bridge, there is another way. Rob Dwyer of Kent Island Express says 5,400 drivers a year call on the company to chauffeur them and their vehicles across. “We have people lay down in the backseat or cover up their eyes with a shirt,” Dwyer says. “…One time, we had a guy ask if we could put him in the trunk—which of course,
we did not do.”
Another way across
The Kent Island-Sandy Point Bay ferry made its last run in 1952. These days, those looking for an alternate route can go north of Baltimore to Elkton on Interstate 95 and then come down U.S. 301 to the bay or Delaware Route 1 to the Delmarva beaches. Or, drive down U.S. 13 on the eastern shore of Virginia and cross via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to Virginia Beach. It’s not direct, but it can be done—if you have a few hours to kill.
Alternatively, you can participate in the annual Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on the second Sunday in June. A 4.4-mile endurance event, it involves roughly 550 swimmers crossing from Sandy Point State Park on the Western Shore to Hemingway’s Restaurant on the Eastern Shore. “Among the difficulties that may be encountered during the average 2 hour 25 minute swim,” the website notes, “are flailing arms and legs during the ‘Cuisinart start,’ cross currents, swells, chop, hypothermia if the water is cold, nettle stings if the water is warm, and collisions with the bridge supports or rocks surrounding the jetties, islands and causeways.” If you’re still game, you can register to win a spot next year at www.bayswim.com.
Crash course
In August 2008, a tractor-trailer careened over the side of the bridge and into the water after a car swerved into it, killing the truck driver and causing traffic backups of 10 miles on both sides of the bridge. Crashes that severe are infrequent. But with no shoulders for cars to pull over to, Sales says, “one disabled vehicle can tie up traffic for the rest of the day during peak summer weekends.” Between May 25 and Sept. 3, 2012, there were 31 collisions on the Bay Bridge.
